Walt Disney spent his boyhood years in Marceline, years he referred to as the best time of his life. Although the Disney family moved away in 1910, many of Walt’s most beloved characters were inspired by his Marceline memories.
famous Missourians
The “Romancing the Stone” actress was born on this date in 1954.
Thomas Hart Benton was born on this date in 1889 in Neosho.
Talk about good genes! Henry Smith Pritchett was the son of a brilliant professor and college president, Carr Waller Pritchett, who was the director of the Morrison Observatory in Fayette. Henry attended Pritchard College (named after his family) in Glasgow Missouri. He later attended the US Naval Observatory to study astronomy and became an astronomer. …
Mid-Missourian Charles Leiper Grigg was a soft drink icon. He moved to St. Louis from his hometown of Montgomery City on this date in 1929.
On this date in 1949, Garroway at Large debuts on NBC. Dave Garroway, a University City native and Washington University graduate, was later the first host of the Today Show.
On this date in Missouri history, Potosi’s Moses Austin died and the task of settling and forming the new Republic of Texas fell to his son, Stephen Austin.
Vincent Price is born in St. Louis. One of America’s best-known character actors was born into a wealthy and influential family, with little indication of the type of fame that was to come.
Lawrence Berra took on the nickname “Yogi” because his friends thought he resembled a Hindu holy man they had seen in a movie.
Missouri History Today is a daily post by Missouri Life magazine about an event or date important for the Show-Me State.
Walt Disney meets with St. Louis officials to discuss plans for the Riverfront Square theme park. But his plans were met with resistance, particularly from August “Gussie” Busch Jr., who insisted that if a theme park were to be built at the site, Disney would have to sell beer
Jean Harlow, the original “blonde bombshell,” was born in Kansas City. She was famous for pinup posters, movies, and her ability to make front-page news in Hollywood magazines.
The only crematorium west of the Mississippi was located in St. Louis. On this day the body of Frank James was cremated there so it could be kept in a bank vault until the eventual burial with his wife in Independence.
This date in Missouri history: Missouri native J.C. Penney dies at the age of 91. James Cash Penney was a Missouri business icon who changed the retail industry while also changing millions of lives around the world.
This day in Missouri history: Rocky Sickman, a hostage in Iran for 444 days came home to cheering crowds and a return to quiet Krakow, Missouri.
Birthday of actress, singer, and pin-up girl, Betty Grable from St. Louis. Lloyds of London insured her legs for $1 million.
